Renfe postpones Barcelona-Toulouse high-speed train connection 

Spain's train manager Renfe has postponed the launch of its high-speed train (AVE) route between Barcelona and the southern French city of Toulouse due to “difficulties and successive delays” in operating in France.  

The new route was supposed to start this month. Although, Renfe's president Raül Blanco stepped down and was replaced by Álvaro Fernández de Heredia, who has now questioned the route's future.  

The connection, between Barcelona and Toulouse, would bring Renfe's number of border crossings to six per day between the French and Spanish border, as it already serves Lyon and Marseille. Overall, the Spanish operator would connect 17 cities across two countries. 

According to sources within the company, Renfe has launched a process of “analysis and reflection on its overall strategy” in France, where it has been encountering numerous bureaucratic hurdles for months in its attempt to launch the Barcelona-Paris route. 

Renfe already held the necessary safety certificate to operate between the border and Toulouse, having met all the requirements of the French safety agency. 

SNCF-Renfe joint venture 

The Barcelona – Toulouse route was already in service in the past, as part of the joint partnership between Renfe and SNCF.  

However, the joint venture between the Spanish and French operators came to an end in December 2021. Since then, France's national state-owned railway company began operating the Barcelona-Paris route on its own, while Renfe had to start from scratch in obtaining the necessary permits to return to France, both for the route between the two capitals and others. 

After securing the required permits and training personnel, Renfe resumed solo services to Marseille and Lyon, and was preparing to do the same with Toulouse. 

Meanwhile, since 2021, the French company has continued operating in Spain under the brands TGV Inoui (Barcelona–Paris) and Ouigo (Barcelona–Madrid).